Los Angeles 01.26.2010

The Castle of Fey-skull

He-Man takes over Hollywood

Art and sculpture weren't exactly what we were erecting when we watched the He-Man cartoon in the 80s, but it's just how Hollywood's Gallery 1988 is reviving it.

Some of the most important life lessons were imparted from the show during boyhood: the hypnotic powers a consistent ab routine affords, that impossibly-tiny boy briefs aren't masculine no matter the size of the weapon we wield, the homo-eroticism of sword play – you know, learned items we still utilize today.

But HeMan's Eternia of childhood can also be interpreted in a few (like two, maximum) ways that aren't gay. Gallery 1988 asked 100 artists for their talented depictions of the 80s cult hit, which are available for perusal in a special exhibit titled, “Under the Influence: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.”

Thankfully, we caught you in time as this is the final week of the nostalgic-yet-contemporary show. That's right, you have until Friday for the in-gallery art work to help you remember where your unwavering addiction to the gym and bowl-cut Scandinavian princes stems from.

There's the in-gallery installation of Castle Grayskull, the dragalicious depictions of She-Ra and, of course, dozens of incarnations of He-Man in various states of undress.

But it's simply Johnny Sampson's “Cosmo Skeletor” print (depicting a ripped Skeletor who's more muscle than bone) that we remember most from this exhibit. Now we understand why He-Man was always chasing the classic villain around with a throbbing sword.

Speaking of, maybe we should add “a knack for dirty sexual innuendo” to our list of things we subconsciously gleaned from He-Man...

“Under the Influence: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe”
Through Friday, January 29
Gallery 1988
7020 Melrose, Hollywood
www.nineteeneightyeight.com

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